Saturday, 19 October 2013

Like every one else, we need your support to maintain our services and ensure that we are still around to meet the needs of everyone who calls us, emails us and joins our support groups. Please give what you can afford to spare and let us help spare someone's grief and sadness, allowing them to start their healing journey and getting their life back on track.
We came close to shutting down last week, but with good fortune and good guys who paid the months rent for March, we can carry on a little longer.

WITHOUT YOUR SUPPORT, MST WILL CLOSE DOWN

HERE'S HOW CAN YOU HELP:You can set up a STANDING ORDER via your online banking, using the codes set out below.

We would be more than happy to keep all (non anonymous) donators informed of how the organisation is doing yearly.

MST (Male Survivors Trust) provides a unique experience with our specialised services that we offer non offending Adult Male Survivors, but we need YOUR support to raise awareness, and to improve our overall organisation.
We do not get any any funding to carry out our work, we rely entirely upon donations, Standing Orders and fundraising ideas.

Our running costs are endless, and the demand on our services often exceeds that, and although the information is provided free of charge to the millions of male survivors out there, without your support we will struggle to maintain our website, struggle to continue to hold our weekly group meetings, and struggle to promote MST, making it more available to those who have yet to find the courage to speak out and find the support they need and deserve.
We have struggled long enough, to survive and NEED your SUPPORT now.

HISTORY OF MST

MST has been operating a weekly telehone helpline since 1991, which is open daily between 10am and 4pm and Wednesday evenings between 7pm and 9pm. Sadly for all the callers out there, we had to close the helpline in 2012.

A male survivor support group met every week, since 1991. On average, we had seven guys in that group.

A second male survivor group started in June 2006. On average, we have nine guys in that group.

A female partners group was started in August 2006, and a third male survivor group was due to start soon.

Over 4,000 men have experienced the unique healing process we have provided since 1991.

We saw clients every day, for one to one sessions, and new clients get in touch every week.

PERSONAL BACKGROUND

I have more than 25 years direct experience of supporting and enabling male survivors to overcome their past histories of sexual abuse/rape, having been sexually abused myself, as a child and young teenager, and from speaking to my first client in 1986.My work with MST has also led to the following:

Facilatating both weekly support groups, giving group members a deeper inside knowldge and awareness of male survivor issues.

Providing training to Police, Social Services, NHS staff and survivor agenices every year, around the UK, than any other survivor agency.

Organising the Annual March and Rally against Child Sexual Abuse that takes place in London every year.

Playing a significant role in publicising and raising awareness, by appearing in Radio, TV and other media outlets, to speak out and break the silence

Arranging male survivor retreat workshops, and other support workshops.

I have also spoken at internationally on male survivor issues.

If you would like to see what we provide, please check out our main page, via the link below

Offering a unique experience to NON OFFENDING Adult Male Survivors of child sexual abuse or adult rape, this website contains a wealth of information on male survivor issues. Sexual abuse, incest and rape is often associated with physical, mental and emotional abuse, which many boys and men have also endured and survived.We are a regionally based, nationally recognised, and internationally renowned agency, providing specialised training to agencies around the UK, which first started in June 1991, making us the longest existing male survivor agency in the UK.
Our support is offered to all male survivors, wherever you are in the world.
Contact us if you would like to join us. Please check back again to see more updates and how to join us in our battle against child sexual abuse and rape, and society's insistence that it doesn't happen to boys and men, because it does.

MST is also building a collective of groups and websites that support and empower adult male survivors of sexual abuse and rape, wherever you may be in the world or cyberspace. Membership is open to all male survivor sites and agencies that want to affilate themselves to the growing amount of men breaking the silence that is not theirs to keep.

Wednesday, 16 October 2013

WHAT IS AYDEN’S LAW?

On 14 March 2013, 14 year old Ayden Olson took his own life.

He'd been bullied to death. Tragically, Ayden's name is only the latest to be added to a growing list. But while the victims themselves may have found peace, their families are left behind, scarred forever by the agony of losing a child.

Ayden's Law is a campaign on behalf of all those young people, their families and any child or young person being bullied today.

BeatBullying, The Sun, and families of children like Ayden are calling on the Prime Minister to take action. We want to call a summit with him and relevant ministers to discuss how we can prevent any more tragedies — and the creation of Ayden's Law, a new children's anti-bullying bill designed to stop bullying in our society once and for all.

Saturday, 12 October 2013

How safe are our children?

NSPCC research

April 2013

This report compiles the most robust and up-to-date child protection data that exists across each of the four nations in the UK.

It sets out 19 different indicators and each indicator looks at the question from a different perspective. These indicators will be regularly updated as new statistics are published.

The report allows us not only to understand how many children are being abused and neglected, but also to track progress so that society can be held to account for its responsibility to children. Only by monitoring the extent of child abuse and neglect in the UK can we judge whether efforts to prevent maltreatment and to protect children are working.

Key messages

The report finds that in some ways today's children are safer from abuse and neglect than those of previous generations but worrying levels of abuse still remain.

Even though there has been an increase in the number of children being made subject to child protection plans or registers, the report finds that:

"for every child subject to a child protection plan or on a child protection register in the UK, we estimate that there are likely to be around eight other children who have suffered maltreatment."

The report also looks at nine key risk factors that can put children at an increased risk of maltreatment.

Key findings

The report shows that:

the child homicide rate is in decline and fewer children are dying as a result of assault or suicide in England, Wales or Scotland but still more than one child a week dies because of maltreatment

one in five children today have experienced serious physical abuse, sexual abuse or severe physical or emotional neglect at some point in their lifetime

new threats are emerging, particularly with the increasing amount of time children spend in the digital world

the public is becoming more vigilant; in the past three years there has been a 40 per cent increase in the number of people coming forward to report concerns about abuse and neglect to the NSPCC

children who are referred to social services are more likely to receive an assessment or be subject to some further action compared with five years ago

"drift" in decision-making seems to be lessening as shown by a decrease in the proportion of children subject to child protection plans or registers for more than two years

more children are coming off child protection plans or registers after shorter periods of time and not being re-registered, suggesting that risk is being reasonably assessed

the proportion of looked-after children who have had more than three placements has decreased in England and Wales, suggesting an improvement in placement stability.

Research statistics on the prevalence of child sexual abuse

Participants were asked whether anyone had tried to make them do anything sexual whilst they were under the age of 18 years. Parents of children aged under 11 years responded on their child's behalf. Older teenagers and young adults were also asked if they had done sexual things with an adult when they were still under 16 years or with an adult in a position of trust whilst they were still under 18 years.

This research uses a definition of sexual abuse that includes any unwanted sexual activity, as well as criminal sexual activity with an adult, where physical contact took place. It excludes non-contact sexual abuse (such as flashing or saying sexual things) as well as "consensual" sexual activity between adolescents.

The figures below are all based on the reports from young people aged 11-17 years. These reports give us the best picture of the experiences of children today.

One in 20 children (4.8%) have experienced contact sexual abuse.

Over 90% of children who experienced sexual abuse, were abused by someone they knew.*

More than one in three children (34%) who experienced contact sexual abuse by an adult did not tell anyone else about it.

Four out of five children (82.7%) who experienced contact sexual abuse from a peer did not tell anyone else about it.

Offender statistics

40,345 individuals were registered as sexual offenders in England and Wales on 31 March 2012.

It is not possible to establish the number of sexual offenders against children in the UK, as the age of the victim of the sex offence is not given. Therefore these figures include sex offenders against adults as well as sex offenders against children.

Kelly, L., Regan, L. and Burton, S. (1991) An exploratory study of the prevalence of sexual abuse in a sample of 16-21 year olds. London: Polytechnic of North London, Child Abuse Studies Unit.

Morrison, T. (1999) Is there a strategy out there? In: Erooga, M. and Masson, H. (eds) Children and young people who sexually abuse others: challenges and responses. London: Routledge.

Royal Belfast Hospital and Queen's University of Belfast (1990) Child sexual abuse in Northern Ireland: a research study of incidence. Antrim: Greystone Books.

Children talking to ChildLine about sexual abuse

Children talking to ChildLine about sexual abuseMariathasan, JeeviLondon: NSPCC, 2010A ChildLine casenote based on analysis of calls to ChildLine about sexual abuse from April 2008 to March 2009. Looks at the number of children counselled, additional problems children talk about, types of sexual abuse reported, age and gender breakdown of callers and perpetrators.

Calls to ChildLine about sexual abuseChildLineLondon: NSPCC, 2007A ChildLine casenote based on analysis of calls to ChildLine about sexual abuse from April 2005 to March 2006. Includes statistics on sexual abuse including who children tell and what happens then, and the victim-offender relationship.